Immaculate Conception
by cloudofcalm
Summary: When Darla stakes herself to give birth to Connor, Faith wakes up in jail pregnant, as The PTB make her jump through hoops to gain redemption


A/N: Taken from the basics of a challenge by gidgetgirl, on small packages. What if Faith's redemption came through Darla's own?  
  
This is a step away from my kid-fic period at the moment, a bit more lyrical, and a bit darker, hopefully. Not exactly sure where I'm going, but I have a general idea and I wanted to try something new. Let me know what you think.  
  
I'm basing this on the premise that Darla got pregnant PDQ, and it was mystically speeded up. I'm probably wrong, but this is where it goes a bit AU.  
  
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The brunette slept uneasily, one arm flung out across the small bunk, her body thrashing as she fought off her unseen enemy. She was beautiful, in a fallen-angel way, as if she knew sex, and lust, and death, and it had made its mark on her face. Full lips, dented in the centre, sooty lashes curled up on pale cheeks, curves barely hidden under her tank top and panties she wore beneath the thin blanket, her jumpsuit tossed over the end of the bed. She rolled over again.  
  
Sal, below her, grunted. She had exactly seven hours of lights-out a night, and half of that was taken up with screams from the psych end. Now Carter was grumbling all night long- how was a gal to stay alive in this pit if she couldn't sleep?  
  
"Aw, shut up," she muttered, prodding the upper bunk with her foot.  
  
Faith was standing somewhere, a corridor. She glanced down, her hands outstretched either side of her. There was light, from somewhere. Everything was so- white. She screwed up her eyes against the light.  
  
"Is she ready?" a voice whispered, almost from beside her. There was an echoing laugh.  
  
"Who is that?" Faith demanded, her hands clenched tightly. "What the hell is this?"  
  
"I think so," the voice said softly. "They are alike."  
  
"Alike to what?" Faith yelled, whipping around. The laugh came again, seemingly all around her.  
  
"Such a fighter," it said, mockingly, and gently.  
  
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ` * ~ * ` * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~  
  
"This child, Angel," Darla lifted her hand, and touched his cheek softly, her face alight, even in the gloom of the alley. "It's the best thing we've ever done together."  
  
He nodded, the rain beating down on both of them. Darla reached for the stake, and with a gasp, dusted herself. Angel looked down. Where was the child?  
  
Holtz moved forward, his crossbow raised, but Angel lifted his head, and their eyes met. The expression of despair, and complete hopelessness on Angel's face tempered the vampire hunter's feelings, and slowly, he lowered the bow, acknowledging that it was not the time.  
  
"What are you doing?" Saj'an demanded, his voice ringing with puzzlement. Holtz looked at him, and answered, softly,  
  
"Only when I take away what he has, not when he believes it has been taken from him."  
  
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"Angel? Are you going to be, y'know, okay?" Cordelia exchanged a worried look with Wesley, who shrugged, looking to the vampire. Angel dropped into his desk chair with a sigh.  
  
"Go away," he said quietly, his voice muffled by his hands covering his face. Cordy and Wes left the room, in silent accord with his wishes. Fred, Lorne and Gunn met them as they came out.  
  
"He's really upset. There's the whole no-shouting thing. It's a big indicator," Cordelia said, twisting her hands together for emphasis. Fred smiled sadly, tucking brown hair behind her ear.  
  
"Well who could blame him?"  
  
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ` * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * * ~ * ~  
  
Sal sat up, her eyes blearily starting to take in the scene. She swiped at her face with her hand, blinking slowly. Carter was bent over the can, retching again.  
  
"Knock it off," Sal ordered sleepily, rolling over, and grabbing her pillow. "We got maybe two hours till they kick us into the yard."  
  
Faith turned around, her hair hanging in her paler-than-usual face, her eyes alight with a gleam of battle.  
  
"Y'know, maybe I would if I could," she could only snap, before she doubled up once more.  
  
Sal sat up once more, giving up on sleep when Carter was tossing her cookies all over the place. It smelled even worse than the place generally did. Sal raked her hands through her short, dirty blonde hair, yawning.  
  
"Hey, Carter, been bangin' the guards?" she tossed the brunette's way, with a small smirk. Faith shot her a withering look.  
  
"What are you on about now, Sal?" she asked, rinsing her mouth with water, and wiping it with the back of her hand.  
  
"Well, you're actin' like you're up the pole," Sal said helpfully. Faith laughed shortly.  
  
"Whatever you say. I've been in here a year, Sal. And the guards just don't turn a girl on," she glanced over to the heavy, expressionless female guard, standing conspicuously just a meter away from their cell.  
  
"Yeah, yeah," Sal yawned again. "Just sayin'. You've been chuckin' up all over the place past two days. Maybe you're up the spout."  
  
Faith ran a brush through her hair, and laughed. "I don't really see me as immaculate conception material."  
  
"None of us is," Sal grunted, falling back, and pulling the pillow over her head.  
  
"Just a stomach bug," Faith muttered to herself, curling up on her own bunk, her knees to her chest as she stared at the bars. Coupla days, and she'd be five by five.  
  
Right?  
  
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A/N: Next chapter, the pregnancy realised, a jail break out by a less likely source, and Faith on the run.  
  
REVIEW! 


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